John Deere’s new flagship X Series combine harvesters have been honoured in the Robotics category of the 2021 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) Innovation Awards. The category highlights programmable or otherwise intelligent machines capable of performing specific tasks or replicating human movement or interactions. Products are also evaluated on their engineering and functionality, aesthetics, and design; and what makes the product unique and innovative.
“John Deere is honoured to receive this award as it highlights our ongoing commitment to agriculture, innovation and technology,” said Jahmy Hindman, chief technology officer for John Deere. “The award recognizes our efforts to build cutting-edge smart machines, systems, and solutions that unlock customer economic value through enhanced precision, automation, speed and efficiency previously not possible.”
70% more wheat per hour
Designed to excel in northern, high moisture, tough separation conditions, the X Series has been proven to achieve over 100 tonnes/hr at a one per cent loss level. The combines feature the widest feederhouse on the market, which is the foundation for the X9’s performance. Coupled with a new dual rotary separator and the industry’s largest cleaning shoe, these work together to improve crop flow and increase harvesting capacity. Compared with previous models, the X9 1100 can harvest up to 70% more wheat per hour.
The smart combine technology powering the X Series
X Series combines are equipped with ActiveVision camera technology that enables farmers to see inside the combine’s grain tank and observe tailings so they can monitor the condition of harvested grain, right down to individual kernels.
Proprietary AI, computer vision, in-field machine-to-machine communication, integrated sensors and self-driving capabilities all help increase harvesting productivity. Add-on options include Active Terrain Adjustment, AutoTrac RowSense, Section Control and In-Field Data Sharing. The technology provides farmers with valuable ‘in the moment’ information that enables critical decision making during the harvest.
As a result combines can run for longer at peak levels (up to 14 hours without refuelling), even as harvesting conditions change. When it is time to refuel, the X Series combines can be ready to go on a full tank in under 2.5 minutes thanks to the new Fast Fuel System, providing filling speeds of up to 550 litres/min.
Remote connectivity
All X Series Combines can connect to the John Deere Operations Center which allows service technicians to manage issues remotely, minimising downtime and supporting farm profitability.
“Technology and innovation are at the core of how John Deere helps farmers overcome uncertainty and improve efficiency,” added Hindman. “To make our customers the most profitable and sustainable farmers in the world, John Deere challenges the status quo to deliver smart, highly autonomous and connected machines, like our X Series combines that unlock opportunities for them to make more informed and accurate decisions at scale, which in turn supports the greater goal of feeding a growing world population.”
This is the second straight year John Deere has received a CES Innovation Award. Run annually by the Consumer Technology Association (CTA), CES 2021 takes place from January 11th to 14th and will be an all-digital, virtual event.
